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Federal Judge Issues Order to Fully Restore DACA

Topics: Immigration

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]U.S. District Court Judge John Bates ruled last Friday that the Trump administration ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program unlawfully.  Judge Bates ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to restore the program by August 23rd.  This is the third district court ruling against the Trump administration in how it handled the termination of the DACA program. DACA was implemented under President Obama with the goal of protecting young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally when they were children.  About 800,000 people received DACA benefits before the program was ended last September.  Previous court rulings have allowed DACA recipients to renew their legal status, but have not reopened the program to new applicants. Judge Bates stated that his ruling does not mean that the Trump administration cannot end the DACA program, but that it requires legal justification for doing so.  To date, the justifications used in court to end the program have been considered "arbitrary and capricious."  The government has until August 23 to submit an appeal. See the full news story here. The fight for DACA is not yet over.  Should DACA be fully restored, the Law Offices of Scott Warmuth will be helping eligible young immigrants apply for the program's benefits.  For a free immigration consultation, call our offices today at 888-517-9888.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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Dog Bite Safety

Topics: Personal Injury

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]About 4.5 million Americans are bitten by a dog every year, and about 20 percent of those bites result in a hospital visit.  Most alarmingly, many of the serious injuries caused by dog bites happen to young children.  Learning about dog bite safety, and teaching dog bite safety to children, can help to prevent dog bite injuries.
  • Do not approach unfamiliar dogs!
  • If an unfamiliar dog approaches you, stay still and silent. Unfamiliar dogs can become aggressive if you run away or make loud noises.
  • If you are still and silent and the dog knocks you to the ground, curl up into a ball and remain still.
  • Avoid making eye contact with an unfamiliar dog. The dog may perceive eye contact as a threat.
  • Do not interfere if two dogs are fighting or playing with each other.
  • Restrained dogs should be avoided.
  • Avoid startling any unfamiliar dog that is eating, sleeping, or nursing.

Dog Bite Safety for Owners

Dog owners must also do their part to promote dog bite safety! In California, failure to prevent your dog from biting someone will lead to personal liability. In California, you are 100% responsible if your dog causes injury to another person. Protect everyone by practicing these dog bite safety tips.
  • Spay and neuter your dogs! Dogs who are fixed are on average less aggressive.
  • Wrestling and other violent games can lead to violent behavior. Try other games, like fetch.
  • Do not introduce new dogs to children without first bonding with it.
  • Invite a new dog into your home. 'Outside dogs' who spend the majority of their time chained up can have social issues.
  • Do not leave your dog alone with any children or infants.
  • While training a dog, do not let it growl or bare teeth.
Professional trainers can help pet owners unable to train or socialize a new dog.

Dog Bite Injury Attorney

Even when every possible action is taken to improve dog bite safety, dog bites still occur, millions of times a year.  If you or a loved one has been bitten by a dog and suffered an injury, call the Law Offices of Scott Warmuth today at 888-517-9888 for a free legal consultation.  You may be eligible to receive compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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Viral Facebook Post Demonstrates Importance of Child Safety Seats

Topics: Auto Accident

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Buckling up is one of the smartest things anyone can do upon entering a vehicle. When parents need to buckle up children on their behalf, it's important to do so as safely as possible.  Car seat safety is an important topic, one that is exemplified in a recent Facebook post that has gone viral.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Car accidents happen every day.  If you are a parent, make sure your children are safely secured in their car seats and boosters before driving!  It could prevent serious injuries in the event of a crash, like in the story above. If you have suffered injury in a car collision, contact an injury attorney today.  The Law Offices of Scott Warmuth can help you seek medical treatment and compensation for missed time at work.  Call us today at 888-517-9888![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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Anti-Immigration Policies Receive Push Back

Topics: Immigration

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It's no secret that the Trump administration is doing what it can to discourage immigration, both illegal and legal.  Two news stories today showed push back against those trends. House Appropriations Committee Rebukes Asylum Guidance In a moment of bipartisanship, the United States House of Representatives House Appropriation Committee voted unanimously passed a measure that would overturn Attorney General Jeff Sessions's guidance that immigrants are prohibited from using claims of gang or domestic violence as a means to gain asylum.  The amendment bars funding from government efforts to enforce the issued guidance. The amendment is being attached to the spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security.  It is not known if the measured passed by the House Appropriations Committee will ultimately be included in the final bill. See the full news story here. Lawsuit Against Census Citizenship Question Moves Forward A federal judge has allowed a lawsuit to remove the newly added citizenship question from the 2020 census.  A question asking about citizenship has not been on the decennial census since 1950.  Plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege that the decision to reinstate the question was motivated by discrimination and will have a discriminatory effect.  The judge agreed. Critics have complained that asking the citizenship question will suppress responses to the census among both legal immigrants and undocumented immigrants.  Census counts are used to draw legislative districts, apportion seats in the United States House of Representatives, and to distribute federal revenue. See the full news story here. Immigration law is every changing.  If you have a question about immigration or would like to seek a temporary visa, green card, or U.S. citizenship, talk to one of our immigration lawyers today at 888-517-9888.  The Law Offices of Scott Warmuth offers 100% free initial consultations.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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Immigration News Updates

Topics: Immigration

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With news flying a mile a minute, it's sometimes difficult to keep up.  Two recent immigration stories we've blogged about have been back in the news. Government on Track to Reunite Families Separated at the Border Original story: Federal Judge Rules that Separated Families Must be Reunited The judge who ordered the Trump administration to reunite migrant families separated at the border has said that the government is on track to meet the court-ordered deadline tomorrow.  According to administration figures, 1,637 parents are eligible to be reunited with their children.  1,012 of those parents have already been reunited with their children. Additional numbers were provided by the Justice Department.
  • 914 parents are ineligible to be reunited with their children.
  • 37 children separated at the border have not been matched with a parent.
  • 463 parents were possibly deported without their children.
  • 20 families have been deported after reunification.
See the full news story here. Judge Orders Release of Pizza Delivery Man from Immigration Detention Original story: Immigration Story out of New York is a Sign of the Times A judge ordered the immediate release of an undocumented man attempting to deliver pizza to a military base in New York City on Tuesday. Pablo Villavicencio Calderon has been in immigration detention since his arrest on June 1. At the time of his arrest, Calderon was married to an American citizen and had a pending green card application. Federal district court judge Paul A. Crotty, a George W. Bush appointee, granted Calderon a stay of deportation while his permanent residency case is considered. Crotty had some pointed questions for the U.S. government lawyer tasked with keeping Calderon locked up, asking if the government's case against Calderon displayed "any concept of justice". See the full news story here.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color="custom" border_width="2" accent_color="#90231a"][vc_column_text]The Law Offices of Scott Warmuth provides immigration legal help to people who want to work and live in the United States.  Our immigration lawyers can make the process of applying for permanent residency or a work visa simple.  For a free consultation, call us today at 888-517-9888.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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Eligibility for Temporary Disability Benefits

Topics: Workers' Compensation

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Most injured workers understand that they guaranteed medical coverage through workers' compensation.  What is sometimes less known is that some injured workers are also eligible to recover a portion of lost wages through temporary disability benefits.  Experienced workers' compensation attorneys will inform clients when they are eligible for temporary disability benefits. In most circumstances, injured workers who are hospitalized overnight or are forced to miss work for three or more days of work are eligible for temporary disability benefits if the employer does not pay full wages for missed work.  If an injured worker is offered a lower paying position to accommodate the injury, the worker can seek to recover some of the wage difference. It is important to remember that temporary disability benefits do not pay 100% for missed work or wage differences.  Benefits are capped at 2/3 of the difference between what you were previously earning weekly and what you are currently earning, up to a certain amount.  In 2018, the maximum temporary total disability benefit is $1,215.27 weekly.  Whatever amount you receive, temporary disability benefits are not considered taxable income. Do you have questions about temporary disability benefits under California workers' compensation law?  Call the Law Offices of Scott Warmuth today at 888-517-9888 to receive a free consultation..  We help injured workers recover physically and financially.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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Is Cash Bail Going Away?

Topics: Criminal Defense

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Bail is a tool used by the judicial branch to ensure that defendants appear in court.  For minor crimes, judges may release defendants awaiting trial without requiring bail, called a release "on their own recognizance".  For more serious crimes or for repeat offenders, judges may require a certain amount of money as collateral to release a defendant.  That money, called cash bail, is returned when the defendant appears in court.  Should a defendant miss their court date or "skip bail", he or she forfeits the entirety of the money. Many defendants cannot afford bail.  An estimated 5,000 people eligible for bail remain locked up in LA. County jail every night because they do not have the resources to post bail.  One option available to defendants who cannot afford bail is to seek a bail bond.  Bail bond companies will pay your bail for you for a fee, generally around 10 percent of the full bail amount.  For example, if bail is set at $1,000, a defendant would need to promise to pay $100 to a bail bondsmen, who would then post bail on the defendant's behalf. Many criminal defense advocates have complained about the unfairness of the cash bail system.  Indeed, there is a national debate over the fairness of the cash bail system.
  • New Jersey and New York have made significant changes to their existing system, with New Jersey completely doing away with cash bail.
  • A 2017 study recommended phasing out the cash bail system and replacing it with a risk-based pretrial assessment.
  • A January ruling by a California appeals court ruled a strict cash bail system as unconstitutional.  Since the ruling, judges must consider a defendant's ability to pay when a bail amount is set.
  • State legislators have been considering changes to the cash bail system since 2017, before the recent court ruling.  The debate is ongoing.  The legislation, SB 10, can be read in its entirety here.
The Law Offices of Scott Warmuth understands the difficulties of the bail system in California and are currently monitoring any possible changes in the law.  We work with prosecutors and judges to ensure our criminal defense clients face clear and fair pretrial actions.  Our defense team fights to ensure a fair bail amount is set.  For a free legal consultation with a criminal defense attorney, call us today at 888-517-9888![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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Carpool Lane Violations

Topics: Auto Accident

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you drive the freeways during rush hour, it's impossible to miss the many carpool violations that occur every day.  Crossing the double yellow lines, double white lines, or even quadruple lines to dash into or out of the carpool lane is incredibly dangerous, putting other motorists on the road at risk.  If you listen to the radio on your drive, you've surely heard about Sigalerts where the carpool and left lanes are closed due to an accident.  Quite often, these crashes occur due to a driver attempting to enter or exit the carpool lane illegally. The penalty for entering or exiting the carpool lane illegally costs a minimum $491.  It is also considered a moving violation and is considered a point against your drivers license.  Points against your drivers license can increase insurance rates and even lead to a suspension of driving privileges.  It's also incredibly dangerous.  Any driver in the process of illegally changing to or from the carpool lane who is involved in a crash will almost certainly be placed at fault. The other type of carpool violation is driving in the HOV lane without enough passengers or a HOV lane sticker.  That fine is also a minimum $491, but doesn't count against your driving record.  Illegal usage of the carpool lane is akin to a parking ticket and is not a DMV point. The Law Offices of Scott Warmuth helps the victims of car accidents.  If you or a loved one has been injured in a crash involving a negligent carpool lane driver, or any other negligent driver, our car accident lawyers can help you pay your medical bills and fix your car.  Call us today at 888-517-9888 to receive a free injury consultation. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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Introducing the New Greencard888.com

Topics: From Our Office, Immigration

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Greencard888.com is an immigration information resource provided by the Law Offices of Scott Warmuth.  U.S. immigration law is complicated.  Our immigration attorneys works to make it as simple as possible for foreign nationals who wish to live and work legally in the United States. We've revamped the website to provide more relevant information that is easier to read!  We will continue to add updated information relevant to the immigration laws of the United States. For a free immigration consultation, call us today at 888-517-9888![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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Immigrant Military Recruits Being Discharged Without Warning

Topics: Immigration

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In 2008, the George W. Bush administration initiated a program designed to recruit immigrants into the United States armed forces to fill skill and language gaps throughout the military.  The Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MANVI) program offered expedited naturalization to immigrants who enlisted in the United States military.  The program was only offered to immigrants or foreigners who were legally in the country.  At least 10,000 military recruits have been through MANVI. Now, the Trump administration appears to be dismantling the program, going so far as to unexpectedly discharge service members and reservists without explanation.  A recent AP story details how many enlisted immigrants who were promised a path to U.S. citizenship now face an uncertain future.  Explanations for why the service members were being discharged are being told they are security risks.  Several of them have filed lawsuit in an attempt to undo the discharge orders. It is likely that more information about the Trump administration's decision to discharge these immigrant recruits will come to light in future reporting. News affecting immigration has been coming at a fast clip over the past few months.  The Law Offices of Scott Warmuth actively stays on top of the news in order to best serve our immigration clients.  Immigration to the United States has become much more difficult in the current political climate.  Our immigration attorneys strive to ensure our clients are treated fairly.  For a free consultation, call us today at 888-517-9888. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]